El Clásico kicks off tonight at 7:45pm GMT
Barcelona may have already won La Liga this season, but there is still a lot riding on tonight’s fixture against their oldest enemies, Real Madrid. Barça are still unbeaten in the league and will be hoping to maintain that record, but even without that extra incentive, these matches are always intensely fought. There is regional and cultural pride at stake.
A Lionel Messi hat-trick in a 4-2 win over Deportivo La Coruña last weekend ensured that Barça regained their title as Spanish champions, while simultaneously relegating Clarence Seedorf’s Deportivo side. Tradition would dictate that Barcelona’s opponents this weekend would congratulate them on their league victory with a guard of honour before kick off. But Madrid will not be upholding that tradition tonight.
Back in December, when Madrid returned from the United Arab Emirates having retained the Club World Cup, Barcelona did not give them a guard of honour before the first Clásico of the season. The visitors then went on to win 3-0 in what was a humbling afternoon for Zinedine Zidane and his Madrid side, who felt disrespected in their own back yard.
When the possibility of Madrid being expected to carry out the gesture for Barcelona in May became evident, Zidane was asked whether it would take place, to which his response was negative.
“Barcelona broke the tradition”, Zidane said.
“I don’t know how much you are going to ask me but my response is very clear,” Zidane said to reporters in early April.
“It is my decision and that is it.
“I don’t understand the guard of honour and it won’t take place, although we are far from the end of the season.”
